


turn to stone

by anabelleyoyoyo



Category: That '70s Show
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, mostly just hyde getting the family she deserves, not really a slash fic as of now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:35:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25461760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anabelleyoyoyo/pseuds/anabelleyoyoyo
Summary: stephanie hyde has lived a rough life. but, maybe the foreman’s can give her some of the love she deserves.(title from elo song turn to stone)
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

eric foreman, 11 and sound asleep, was awoken by the sound of rocks hitting his window. 

"psst! foreman!" he heard a girly voice whisper shout from outside. stephanie hyde. 

his window, frozen shut in the face of the harsh wisconsin winter, was of no use as he tried to pull it open. eric grabbed a jacket, heading outside as quietly as he could because it was three in the morning. 

"steph, what are you doing here?" eric asked, bouncing from side to side in the cold. there were a few inches of snow on the ground. 

"i was just wondering if you wanted to hang out." 

eric gave her a deadpan look. "it's the middle of the night." 

"yeah! you up for a little," she trailed off, "nighttime adventure?" her voice rising in pitch by the end, showing her uncertainty. 

"cut the crap. what's up with you, really?" 

stephanie sighed, shuffling her feet against the ground. dave threw me out, she thought to herself. said he and edna needed the house to themselves.

"i'm sorry for waking you, foreman. i shouldn't- i shouldn't have done that." she looked so vulnerable, an emotion she learned to hide away as she got older. but, stephanie hyde was still an 11 year old girl who didn't know what to do. 

quickly, she hid her worry behind a carefree smile that in no way reflected her mental state. "seriously, i just wanted to hang out. no snowball fights in the middle of the night? cmon, foreman, live a little!" 

eric could see through her act. he knew that something had gone wrong in the hyde household that night. but he also knew that she didn't want to talk about it. so, 

"let's save the snowball fights for the morning. here, you can sleep in my room and sneak downstairs when it's time to wake up." 

eric noticed the look of gratitude that was sent his way as they headed quietly upstairs towards bed. 

——

the next time stephanie hyde showed up at eric foreman's doorstep was the summer before eighth grade. stephanie was knocking on eric's window in the middle of the night after climbing the side of the house. 

"eric," she whispered, tapping against the glass. "eric!" 

he made some groggy, incomprehensible word as he got up slowly to open the window for his best friend. 

she easily slipped through, showing her slenderness. it had only been a few weeks since summer started, but stephanie looked much lighter than she had when school ended. 

"did you lose weight?" eric asked inelegantly. 

she hid her frown behind a smirk. "eric, the time to hit on me is not when i'm climbing though your window." 

"i'm not- ugh, whatever. just forget it. what are you doing- what happened to your face?" 

even from behind her sunglasses, eric could see that there was a giant purple bruise across her face, and a few more bruises scattered across her arms. some even looked fingerprint shaped. 

"oh this? that's nothing," she said, trying to change the subject. "how's your summer been?" 

"stephanie, i'm serious. that is practically a black eye! what happened?" 

"i got into a fight, that's all." 

"a fight?" eric asked, clearly not buying it. 

"yes!" she whisper yelled exasperatedly. "it was just a stupid little fight." 

"with who? about what?" 

she scoffed. "i'm sorry, i didn't realize i was coming over to the spanish inquisition. guess i'll just go then." 

and, as much as eric wanted straightforward answers, he wanted hyde safe more than anything else. 

"i'm sorry, i'll stop prying, just come inside for real." 

he set them up for bed once again, and could have sworn he heard a whispered "thank you" as he was falling asleep. 

——

the third time eric helped stephanie hyde was shortly before she left home, and for once, he visited her house. 

eric hadn't seen hyde in a few days; she got like this sometimes, where she'd skip school for a week or so, doing god knows what with her free time. but, eric missed his best friend, so he thought he'd stop by and check on her. 

the houses got sketchier and more dilapidated as he approached the hyde household, looking gloomier than ever. 

he noticed the car in the driveway, meaning edna was home, despite having a job at the school. 

eric went to the door to knock, and heard muffled shouting on the other side. after a few moments, there was a loud crashing sound and then the shouting ceased. 

the sound of locks unlocking met his ears, then-

"foreman? what are you doing here?" she asked, as if she couldn't even fathom why he would come. 

she ushered him inside, just short of dragging him across the house to her room. 

"i was- worried. we haven't seen you in a few days, so i thought i'd stop by- hey!" he exclaimed as she yanked him in one direction with a little too much force. 

"you shouldn't have come here," she muttered under her breath. 

"and why not?" 

she stopped moving to look at him for the first time since he arrived. he looked like he always did, like eric, so undeniably familiar and safe, and now in her shitshow of a home. 

hyde, however, did not look as she normally did. she looked frazzled, more so than he had ever seen her. she had fading bruises that she had tried to cover up with concealer smudged across her face. and, she looked angrier than eric had ever seen before. 

"what were you thinking, you dumbass! you can't be here, you can't-"

a large thump was heard on the other side of the wall, and eric had enough experience in reading hyde to know that she was panicking, despite appearing calm. 

"open the door you whore!" a man's voice screamed. hyde secured the lock, and then migrated closer to her bed. the man continued to yell obscenities at her for the next ten or twenty minutes, before giving up and moving on. 

she exhaled slowly, taking in the fact that he was gone. 

"what the hell was that?" eric asked. 

she paused, then- 

"edna's boyfriend of the week. i'm surprised they're home at all." 

"is he the one who did this to you? is he why you haven't been at school?" 

"what, foreman don't be ridiculous. he may yell at me, but he's harmless." lie. "and i haven't been in school because why should i go to school?" lie again. 

eric wasn't having it. "where did you get those bruises?" 

"oh, well there was this kinky guy up in kenosha who wanted to-" third lie, ding ding ding, we have a winner! 

eric shoved her, saying,"gross! i don't wanna hear about that!" 

she may have distracted him, but his questions remained. eric knew something was up at his friend's house, but how could he help? she obviously didn't want him to do anything about it, otherwise she would have told him the truth. 

so, eric foreman decided to wait until stephanie hyde was ready to accept help. and he'd be there when she was.


	2. chapter 2

hyde had been pacing for the past half hour. edna and her had another fight, one that ended with hyde covered in scapes and bruises from slaps and thrown bottles. she left the scene after that, going to drink and whore her problems away*

problem* - her daughter

they were fighting because edna spent their rent money on booze in the middle of winter, and the cold was starting to seep under hyde's skin. she screamed at her mom to get her shit together; why do i even bother, she never listens to me. 

so, hyde was alone, pacing in her shitty house, trying not to freeze to death. she had been weighing the pros and cons of showing up to foreman's house looking like a complete frozen mess, vs dying of hypothermia. 

she felt terrible burdening the foreman's like that, especially during the holidays. they had enough going on without adding stephanie hyde and her problems into the mix. but what other option did she have? edna seemed hell bent on doing what she wanted, when she wanted, and she wanted to be far away from hyde, at least for the time being. she always turned back up again, but what would hyde do in the meantime? 

the landlord threatened to break the door down if they didn't have rent by next week, and hyde refused to sleep with him as payment. edna may be fine with slutting her way through life, but hyde sure wasn't. 

and the foreman's had always been like a second home to her; ever since she defended eric on the playground, they had been inseparable. mrs foreman made sure to send eric with extra lunch so she wouldn't go hungry, and would let her stay long past her welcome because hyde always wanted to avoid going home. 

but what would she do? she couldn't sneak in through eric's window; he would ask too many questions, be too concerned, enough to get his parents. which was why hyde should just show up and knock like a normal person would. they could turn her away, but she didn't think they would. and, even if they did, the colder it became the more appealing that risk appeared. 

so, she grabbed her duffel bag and shut the door, starting the trek to the foreman's on that winter night. 

———

it was getting late when the red foreman heard a knock on the door. who on earth could possibly need me at this hour? i swear if it's bob i'm going to put my foot up his ass. 

he grumbled down the stairs, expecting bob, or god forbid, carolers, and opened the door only to find neither. he instead found one stephanie hyde, a duffel bag over her shoulder and completely dusted in snow with eyes trained on the ground, clearly seen even with her shades on. 

"hi mr foreman," she said in a soft voice. only now did he notice her split lip and growing bruise across her face as she shivered in the doorway of his house. 

"stephanie- what?" are you doing here? what happened? 

"red," kitty called from the top of the stairs," who was it?" 

"i-it's hyde." 

like a switch was flipped, mrs foreman hurried down the stairs to take in the sight of a battered, half frozen stephanie, ushering her inside and under a blanket before hyde could realize what happened. 

"red, go get eric," she said in a quiet voice.

"no." hyde spoke up for the first time since arriving. "just- give me a few minutes. then we can get foreman. he's gonna ask questions," she mumbled, not quiet enough. 

"we have questions. starting with, what happened?" 

hyde did her best to put up her walls, but she was unsteady. this was why she asked the foreman's to wait on eric; she needed to realign her defenses before her best friend saw her this vulnerable. 

she took a deep breath, comforted by the fact that her sunglasses were still on. they were dark enough that it was difficult to see her eyes, making her harder to read, a benefit hyde especially needed right now. 

"i- my mom left. and she," hyde thought for a second how to make this story less bad. "forgot to pay the heating bill." 

short and simple were the best stories. short and simple with a dash of the truth. 

"and where did you get that split lip? or that handprint across your face?" red was brimming with anger, and although it felt directed at hyde, it was most definitely directed at edna. hyde took his anger the wrong way, "this was a mistake. i can go, i'm sure i can-"

hyde scrambled to grab her stuff, heading for the door with barely concealed tears in her eyes. what had she expected? they didn't want to be stuck with her, and she sure as hell didn't want their pity. why had she even come at all? 

because they're the only family you've ever known, the tiny voice in the back of her head whispered. 

"hyde? what are you doing here?" eric ran down the stairs in his star wars pjs that were meant for children younger than 17. 

"hyde was just about to tell us about her night," mr foreman said, almost daring her to disagree. she schooled her expression into her normal zen exterior, but he would almost be scary if hyde wasn't 100% sure that he wouldn't hit her. 

"edna left. and, as you can see, we got into a disagreement before she left." 

"that bitch!" mrs foreman yelled, getting up to make herself a drink. 

"it's alright, mrs foreman. she's done worse," hyde said quietly, trying to soothe things over but having the opposite effect. 

"you mean she's done this before?" mrs foreman looked flabbergasted, as did mr foreman. only eric didn't look completely shocked; he had likely had his suspicions for years now, only too afraid to confront her about them. 

"it was cold- edna was late on the heating bill, and i didn't know what to do." 

she looked to eric, almost subconsciously, as a source of comfort as his parents decided what to do with hyde. 

he finally spoke up. "so edna is gone," he said slowly. "and you're alone? in a house with no electricity?" 

hyde nodded, her face barely hiding the shame that edna caused her to feel. god, hadn't these people already done enough for her without hyde having to show up in the middle of the night because her own mother couldn't be bothered to take care of her." 

eric nodded back, taking this information in, before saying," she's staying with us." it was the most confident hyde had ever seen him. he was making eye contact with both of his parents, not backing down for a second. if hyde hadn't been so panicked, she would have appreciated his balls. 

only a second passed before mrs foreman agreed, "of course she will," as if it were ludicrous that she wouldn't have. 

red was still dealing with the shock of having a 16 year old burnout on his porch in the middle of the night practically begging for a home. 

"cmon, i'll set you up in my room with the cot." and with that, eric ushered her upstairs, injuries forgotten until tomorrow. 

———-

they were lying in eric's room, and the lingering silence was killing her. "if you've got something to say, foreman, just say it."

he hesitated, then- 

"why didn't you ever tell me?" 

she knew what he meant. "what could you have done?" 

"i-i could've told my parents, you could've moved in here, you-"

"foreman i can't stay here. at least, not forever. at some point ednas gonna come back, and i'll need to go back." 

"how could you say that? you have a home here! my parents love you more than they love me, and we all love you enough to stop you from returning to such a- such a-" 

hyde sighed, "i get the picture, foreman." 

they sat in silence, both mulling over what the other had said. 

"i've always been the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, okay? no one has ever cared as much as you have, or your family. all i've ever known are ednas slaps and screaming rants about how i'm the reason her life was ruined. the idea that i'm more than that, than a screw up burnout? that i deserve better than what i have?-" 

"you do." 

no, i don't. 

hyde turned abruptly away, making eric think she was going to sleep. only he couldn't see the tears in her eyes.


	3. chapter 3

a few weeks after moving in with the foreman's (once new years passed with no sign of edna, it was clear that she had taken off for good), it all went to shit. 

hyde was called into the principals office for fighting, not that anyone was surprised. she was stephanie hyde, point place's resident future criminal. however, for the first time, the school didn't call edna. 

her shock was palpable when mrs foreman arrived in her nurses uniform, looking disappointed yet relieved to see hyde was alright. 

it was the strangest feeling, one hyde had never gotten from her own mom. 

after a quick discussion with the principal, hyde was suspended and mrs foreman took her home. stephanie was brimming with anxiety, but refused to show it.

sitting at the kitchen table, mr and mrs foreman standing above her, she knew she was screwed. might as well pack my shit now, she thought to herself bitterly. 

"failing grades? picking fights? stephanie, what were you thinking?" mr foreman asked. 

she had never tried in school. in life, really. everyone already expected her to be this utter failure, so why try to be anything more. hyde made it her mission to be informed, read books that she found important and learn about things of value to her, but school seemed like a waste of time if everyone already had preconceived notions about her. 

but she couldn't explain any of that to the foreman's. they lived the picture perfect life, for the most part. how could they understand the expectations of her and how much easier life is if she just acts the way everyone expects? 

so, hyde shrugged. 

"oh no, i want more of an answer than that!" 

red foreman yelling wasn't anything new. people had been yelling at hyde her whole life.

"why should i try when i'm not going to amount to anything anyway?" she didn't have the energy to be angry anymore, just tired. 

"if you tried you would amount to something!" 

mrs foreman finally stepped in,"hyde, honey, could you please just give it another chance?" her pleading tone hit harder than any yelling red foreman could've done, and hyde reluctantly agreed. 

——

this was finally the end though. the last straw. red found her stash, and went berserk on everyone. he had been yelling for the past hour, rambling about disrespect and how she was no better than her parents. it stung a little, coming from the foreman's, but what could she expect? even the people who cared had low expectations of her. 

eric entered the room around the time red announced that hyde couldn't stay there anymore. apparently, this was a spontaneous decision, one not supported by kitty or eric, but red seemed adamant. 

as she went to the basement to pack her duffel bag, hyde was internally panicking about where to go. none of her friend's parents would be cool with her crashing there, which left a few of her hideouts as the only options. that, or take the bus to kenosha and sleep at a one night stand's apartment. 

she maintained her zen exterior when eric appeared, fuming at red for abandoning hyde. he threatened to go and tell red that the weed was his, and they were all doing it.

"foreman, don't do that. don't drown with the ship. it's fine, i'll figure it out." 

"he's tossing you out on the street! he knows you have nowhere to go, and he doesn't care! that's an asshole move, and i can't let you go down for something we all do anyway!" 

"eric, i'm serious. do not tell red about the weed. a) he'd think i caused it but b) it would make life 10x worse for you for no good reason." 

"you are a good reason! you deserve so much more-" 

"careful there foreman, people might think you cared about me." 

"i do." 

hyde scoffed, shuffling as she said,"get a move on. if i'm not out of the house in the next five minutes red might actually kick my ass." 

"i'm serious about caring about you, you know." 

"shut up foreman." 

——-

"red you can't!" 

"kitty, she brought illegal drugs into our home. she could've given some to eric, made that dumbass a pothead too." 

"but she has no one and nowhere to go. what kind of people are we if we throw her out on the street?" 

"the kind that keep drugs out of our home." 

eric stormed into the room, hyde following, clutching her duffel bag. 

"the pot is mine." 

hyde's eyes widened. "foreman, what-" 

he glared at her with a look of determination, daring her to shut him up. "thank you, hyde, for taking the blame but i can't let you get sent away for something i did. the drugs are mine. please let hyde stay." 

"eric foreman, you are grounded. no vista cruiser, none of your friends coming over, and i'm going to be watching you every second of every day. i can't believe i went so wrong in life to have a hopped up son." 

"red, don't you have something to say to hyde?" 

he cleared his throat, finally meeting her eyes after chewing eric out. "stephanie, i'm sorry for assuming the drugs were yours. you can, um, stay in the basement if you still want to." 

she hesitated, then-

"okay." 

——-

"foreman, i can't believe you'd do that." for me.

"how could i let you get sent away? it was hard enough to see you come here after edna, i couldn't let you go back out into that." 

"yeah, but, you know i would've been fine, right? i have a few houses i can squat in, a few bars to hit up for one night stands." 

"you shouldn't have to go through life like that." 

after a beat of silence, "thank you," hyde added.


End file.
